Food stamps aren’t just a hot topic on Capitol Hill and among presidential candidates. They are also a much-discussed topic on Twitter.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, food stamp trafficking is illegal:
One of the most common forms of food stamp fraud, known as food stamp trafficking, involves the illegal buying or selling of food stamp benefits for cash, drugs, weapons or other items of value. Unlawful possession or use of food stamp benefits in an amount of $100 or more is a felony; less than $100 is a misdemeanor.
Yet many Twitter users openly discuss the purchase or sale of food stamps:
https://twitter.com/#!/GoodIntentionZ3/status/193010312667074560
https://twitter.com/#!/jay_marae/status/193038855719497728
https://twitter.com/#!/BB_STONE/status/193035188899553280
https://twitter.com/#!/yungnbright/status/193023225322676224
https://twitter.com/#!/SheNice614/status/193033685799403520
https://twitter.com/#!/Suck_My_Sarcasm/status/192961798956261377
https://twitter.com/#!/UZURI_MICHAELS/status/192814575782084609
https://twitter.com/#!/brainsxbeauty/status/192783670208241665
https://twitter.com/#!/MariyahsDad/status/193021169207742464
https://twitter.com/#!/omghesaidthat/status/193007488654782464
https://twitter.com/#!/HennySypr4Lyf/status/193007141043449856
https://twitter.com/#!/TAMPA_DREADHEAD/status/193028352670568448
https://twitter.com/#!/Ardor69/status/193011428553277440
If you think the above tweets are isolated examples, take a look at the “Related Tweets” widget to the right of this post, above. In all likelihood, you will see many more Tweets discussing the purchase or sale of food stamps.
Meanwhile, David Wessel of the Wall Street Journal points us to a Congressional Budget Office analysis showing that one in seven Americans is now using food stamps:
https://twitter.com/#!/davidmwessel/status/193028722759176192
Those one in seven Americans will be pleased to read Tweets like these from Congressional Democrats:
https://twitter.com/#!/RepJimMcDermott/status/192241341730783232
https://twitter.com/#!/RepSpeier/status/192403626159902721
https://twitter.com/#!/repsandylevin/status/192668080390946816
As for the six out of seven Americans who do not use food stamps, well, they may still have some misgivings about the program:
https://twitter.com/#!/vetteeee/status/193030443686309889
https://twitter.com/#!/FML_Dx/status/193028991773458432
Finally, no food stamp round-up would be complete without this little tidbit:
https://twitter.com/#!/AP/status/192427533889835008
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